A 28-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly stalking and harassing a 29-year-old doctor who is an assistant director of a health research centre of an American university.

The victim, who was recently appointed as a member of the advisory committee of the National Commission for Protection of Child Right, was being harassed by the accused since 2017.

The man has been identified as Shibbi Thomas, a native of Kerala, who has recently taken up employment with a private company in Mumbai.

According to Amboli police, in 2017, Thomas had sent an email to the victim on her official ID for a job and sought an appointment. During the meeting he was told there was no vacancy. The accused had then forcibly shaken hands with the victim and taken her phone number.

The police said Thomas had been continuously messaging and emailing the victim since then. He often texted her from different numbers and the content was inappropriate. He was also stalking her on social media. Thomas even professed his love for the victim in e-mails. Initially, she ignored him but he was relentless in his pursuit.

The victim then filed a complaint with the Kerala police via email. The Kerala police counselled him so that he would stop bothering the victim. But Thomas became even more aggressive and e-mailed her bosses asking for details about her. He even threatened to hold her responsible if he took any extreme step because of unrequited love.

“The victim was horrified by such mails and approached us on Monday and lodged a complaint. We immediately registered an FIR and found that the accused is living in Mumbai and working for a private company. He had also visited the victim’s office and asked the security guard about her daily routine,” said a police officer.